TUTORIAL: Store and Protect Your Password with Cryptainer LE Encryption Software

by Bonnie Boots

Even though--or possibly because--I have thousands of dollars invested in software, I'm always on the lookout for well-designed freeware. One of my favorite finds is Cryptainer LE, a "miniature" version of Cryptainer and Cryptainer PE from Cypherix. This is not a trial version. It's totally free and never expires.

If you currently keep a file or folder with sensitive information like passwords, credit card or banking information on your hard drive, Cryptainer LE will let you build a virtually unbreakable "virtual vault" in which to securely store them. 

With Cryptainer LE, you can create containers, or "vaults" of up to 25 MB that are protected with 128-bit encryption. What does that mean? In simple terms, it means that cyber thieves trying to steal your sensitive information have a one-in-72 quadrillion chance of finding the correct "key" to open one of these vaults. (It also means YOU will be unable to recover your password should you eve forget it, so NEVER FORGET IT!)

Your "key" to opening the vault is a single password. Rather than trying to remember dozens of passwords for as many sites, you can simply type all your passwords into a Word file and store that file in a Cryptainer LE vault. After that, you only need to remember the single password for your vault. Make your password something that contains both letters and numbers to make it even more secure.

With cyber crime on the rise and identity theft an ever-growing concern, Cryptainer LE offers a free and easy way to add a layer of protection to your computing life. This tutorial will show you how to install and use it.

Here's a screenshot showing the download page for Cryptainer LE. Go here to download the free installation file:

http://www.cypherix.com/cryptainerle/

Clicking on the download link will open your download manager, which will ask if you want to download the executable file, as shown below. Click on "save file," and direct it to save the file to your windows desktop.

When the download is complete, look for this file on your desktop.

Double-clicking on that file will open the install wizard, as shown below.

If you answer "yes" to all the questions the install wizard asks (such as "do you accept the terms of use") Cryptainer LE will be installed and an icon, or desktop shortcut, will be placed on your desktop. It looks like this:

Now that you have Cryptainer LE installed, double click on the icon to set up the program.

When you start Cryptainer LE for the first time, it will ask you to specify certain details. The excellent directions in Cryptainer LE's own help file make it very easy to provide the correct information.

After you have installed Cryptainer LE and protected it with your super-secret password which you will never forget you can start storing your sensitive files and folders in it.

Click on the Cryptainer LE desktop icon, or open it from your Start menu. You will see this toolbar open.

Clicking on "Load" will cause the password manager to open. You simply type in your password to open your vault.

On the screenshot below, you see 2 items on my Windows desktop; the open Cryptainer LE vault, and a Word file which holds all my important information for this tutorial.

All I have to do is drag and drop my word document into the Crypatiner lE vault.

(If this action results in your file or folder being "copied" into your CryptainerLE vault, leaving the original document still on your desktop, be sure to drag the desktop file or folder to your Recycle bin.)

When you're finished using your Cryptainer LE vault,  always use "Shut down & exit." If you just click on the windows "X to close" in the upper right hand corner, the vault is only closed. It is not yet shut down and encrypted.

One last step: back-up, BACK-UP, BACK-UP!

Remeber, computers can break, drives can fail, rendering your files unuseable. The same thing can happen with a virtual drive. If Cryptainer LE, or any virtual drive, becomes corrupted, chances are you will not be able to retrieve the files stored in them.

That's why it's so important to make a back-up copy of your passwords, preferably on a device that is not  connected to your computer. I store my passwords, unencrypted, on a 1gb (1 gigabyte) thumb drive. When I want to refresh that back-up, I plug the thumb drive in to a USB port, open Cryptainer LE, open my passwords file and tell Windows to "copy to" the thumb drive. I then remove the thumb drive from the USB port and store it elsewhere in my office.

That way, I have a back-up file of passwords that cannot be accessed, in any way, from the computer that is connected to the internet. And the only password file that is stored on the internet-connected computer is locked and hidden.

Remember, the same internet that offers us  boundless opportunities  is also available to crooks. So, as they used to say on Hillstreet Blues, let's be careful out there!

About the Author

Bonnie Boots is the publisher/editor of The Internet Wizards Magazine for people who want to create their own products and market on the internet. Register for your free 1-year subscription at http://www.theinternetwizards.com